# Why John Lithgow Why??!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732 "2006-01-12T23:16:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/1 "2006-01-12T23:16:24Z")
I always liked John. I thought he was funny in Third Rock From the Sun and I also liked him in (not admiting I watched it ) Footloose. As far as I am concerned, Lithgow is a great actor. So why on earth has John Lithgow whored himself out to a soup company?? Is he really so desperate that he needs to do soup commercials? Or is this some kind of pro-bono that I’m not aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/2 "2006-01-12T23:25:43Z")
I like John Lithgow a lot, but hawking soup is a step up from both _Third Rock_ and _Footloose_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/3 "2006-01-12T23:29:39Z")
Always one of my favorites; he was brilliant in _Buckaroo Bonzai_ and _The World According to Garp_ (and had a great scene that was left on the cutting room floor from _L.A. Story_). I’ve even been to one of his children’s book readings, and he killed. The soup thing kinda disappoints me. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/4 "2006-01-12T23:32:43Z")
Why settle [sub]for soup commercials [/Sub] when you can select [Sub]a worthy project[/Sub]? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/5 "2006-01-12T23:34:12Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > I’ve even been to one of his children’s book readings, and he killed. I sat next to him in a restaurant. Uno’s. Harvard Square. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/6 "2006-01-12T23:35:28Z")
I’ve been to Uno’s. In Houston. It closed. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/7 "2006-01-12T23:38:18Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > I’ve been to Uno’s. In Houston. It closed. I’ve been past Due’s. In Chicago. It was open. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/8 "2006-01-12T23:38:35Z")
I believe it’s called “paying the mortgage.” A paying job is a paying job, after all. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/9 "2006-01-12T23:39:30Z")
I really don’t understand the reasoning behind this complaint. If someone came up to you and offered you a substantial amount of money for one or two days work, you would turn it down? Why? The man did a soup commercial and probably got paid more for that than I get paid in a year. Good for him. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/10 "2006-01-12T23:45:28Z")
Just out of curiosity, does he have anything else lined up? ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/11 "2006-01-12T23:49:02Z")
I’m just saying its sad for this great actor to be pedalling soup instead of doing movies. (although he did do Orange County and Shrek) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/12 "2006-01-12T23:58:31Z")
Maybe he just really likes soup. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/13 "2006-01-12T23:59:23Z")
Were you under the impression that he signed on to do _ **Cliffhanger** _ because of Stallone’s subtle and insightful screenplay? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/14 "2006-01-12T23:59:23Z")
> [@Surbey](#): > > I’m just saying its sad for this great actor to be pedalling soup instead of doing movies. (although he did do Orange County and Shrek) Indeed. He should stick to pedalling bicycles. Perhaps you meant “peddling”. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/15 "2006-01-13T00:00:22Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Just out of curiosity, does he have anything else lined up? This is the last week of his run in [Dirty Rotten Scoundrels](http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?id=383315), for which he received a Tony nomination. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/16 "2006-01-13T01:01:45Z")
So a well-known “respectable” film/TV actor sells soup. So? Others sell cellphones or cars. Or do voiceover work for the Yellow Pages. If anything the ones complaining should be the small-time actors who would normally do such ads as a source of regular incomes. Lithgow, like Michael Caine, has something of a reputation as someone who just wants to have a gig going on at any given time and finds very little to be beneath him. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/17 "2006-01-13T01:21:31Z")
I’d like to see any of you turn your nose up at the amount of money he’s getting for those spots. ---
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/18 "2006-01-13T01:37:25Z")
So, keeping your face in the public eye is a bad thing? ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/19 "2006-01-13T01:44:45Z")
Oh, but just think of the potential! Two years from now, aired during the Superbowl: Momma McNabb vs. John Lithgow in a winner-takes-all tin cage deathmatch. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732/20 "2006-01-13T03:06:08Z")
Because _Soup is Good Food_, and because both _Love Boat_ and _Fantasy Island_ are cancelled. Usually, washed-up actors needing mortage payments wnet on one or more episodes of those series. At least he’s not doing paid programming for some tacky products. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-john-lithgow-why/339732.md?page=2)